West Newton Lions Club & Mayor Mary Popovich Provide Home-Cooked Meals For Over 100 People
WEST NEWTON (KDKA) -- You can find people all over our area whipping up a home-cooked meal on a Sunday, but not too many are doing it for more than 100 of their neighbors.
"It took me 4 hours of shopping just to get the supplies for one meal," West Newton Mayor Mary Popovich said.
Popovich and about 10 volunteers work to make meals at the West Newton Lions Club and get them out to several communities in their area.
They take Sundays and Thursdays to put the to-go meals together, and they distribute the meals to anyone who may need a little pick-me-up as well as first responders on Mondays and Fridays.
"This isn't just about the elderly or disabled. It's maybe some sort someone is a frontline worker and they need a break, or maybe it's people at home with a lot of children," Popovich said while cooking Monday's meal.
They began these efforts about a month ago with only a handful of orders when the stay-at-home orders started. As word of mouth spread, they now serve more than 100 people.
"It just keeps going up in numbers. To start with 8 people up to 104, I expect it to get closer to 175, 200 if this continues," Popovich told KDKA.
The meals come at no cost. All the food comes from donations or the West Newton United Hot Meals, and Emergency Food Pantry pays for it out of pocket. Their reward comes when they deliver meals.
"We've shed tears together. They're just so amazed that people are reaching out," volunteer Marci Elsbery said.
"A lot of them need checked on just to know that somebody loves them," volunteer Lisa Marchetti said.
So on a wet and dreary Sunday, love is cooking to brighten up a Monday.
If you need a meal or would like to make a food or monetary donation, call Mayor Popovich at 724-972-3779.
